Suwannee River Water Management District

Water Quality at the Ichetucknee Trace Mine

Darlene Saindon Env. Scientist, SRWMD

R. Thomas Kiger Hydrologist, SRWMD January 29, 2015

Suwannee River Water Management District

Outline • • • •

Background- Hydrologeology Water Quality Concerns Sampling Activities Water Quality Findings

Suwannee River Water Management District

Background: Water Quality • Santa Fe River currently impaired for nitrate • FDEP adopted BMAP for Santa Fe Basin in 2012 • BMAP goal – reduce average annual nitrate concentrations to 0.35 mg/L NOx-N in Santa Fe River and tributaries • Groundwater nitrate concentrations up gradient of Ichetucknee River generally around 0.5 - 1.0 mg/L NOx-N, with some stations lower

Suwannee River Water Management District

Water Quality: Ichetucknee Monitoring Wells Nitrate Concentrations 4.5 4

Nitrate (mg/L NOx-N)

3.5

Ichetucknee Trace Mine Monitoring Well- 4.2 mg/L NOx-N

3 2.5

DEP- ANDERSON MINE ICHETUCKNEE STATE PARK #1

2

JOHN FOLKS-DOF-LAKE CITY W/C JOHN FOLKS-DOF-ROSE CREEK

1.5 1

0.5 0 Jan-01

Jan-03

Jan-05

Jan-07

Jan-09

Suwannee River Water Management District

Where is the Ichetucknee Trace Mine?

Ichetucknee Trace Mine

Ichetucknee River

Suwannee River Water Management District

Ichetucknee Trace Mine Site • Ichetucknee Trace Mine is a former limerock mine located in the Ichetucknee Trace. • The property, formerly known as the Anderson Mining CorporationColumbia City Mine, was purchased as part of the Ichetucknee Trace Florida Forever Project in 2000-2001. • Property was acquired to protect the water quality of Ichetucknee Springs by removing the threat of further mining and groundwater contamination along the area believed to be a major conduit to Ichetucknee Springs. • Mining reclamation requirements have been completed and were finalized by FDEP in 2012. • Site is composed of approximately 655 acres, including roughly 246 acres of pine plantation, 214 acres of spoil and mining road, 78 acres of mine areas/gravel pits Source: -FDEP Bureau of Mining and Reclamation, Office of Greenways and Trails Records

Suwannee River Water Management District

Ichetucknee Trace •

•

• •

Ichetucknee Trace is dry, karstic valley between Rose Creek Sink in Columbia County and the Ichetucknee Springs Cannon Creek, Clay Hole Creek, Rose Creek flow into sinkholes (swallets) north of Ichetucknee River, and flow to Ichetucknee Springs via complex system of conduits in Floridan Aquifer Previous investigation did not find caves or conduits in lake bottoms Groundwater current through the lake appeared minimal in diving studies.

(Dyal and Black Sinks Dye Trace, Butt & Murphy, Karst Environmental Services, Inc, 2003)

Suwannee River Water Management District

Lake City WWTP Site

Rose Creek Sink

Ichetucknee Trace Mine

Ichetucknee River

Suwannee River Water Management District

Maybe We Have Project! Large Parcel under State Ownership (FDEP)

Rather high nitrate result in a hydrologically sensitive area of the Ichetucknee Trace Large Surface Water Body that is potentially hydrologically connected to Ichetucknee Trace Downstream springs that need Nitrate loadings reduced So… Lets find out what’s in the Lake!

Suwannee River Water Management District

Water Quality Assessment

Surface Water Samples

Monitoring Well

Suwannee River Water Management District

Water Quality Assessment Key Sampling Parameters: • • •

• •

Nitrate (Nutrient) Phosphate (Nutrient) Temperature: Examine Stratification of Lake Chl-A : Indicator of algae biomass Sucralose (conservative tracer for potential wastewater contamination)

Suwannee River Water Management District

VERTICAL PROFILE DATA 3 Spot Samples with YSI 600QS targeting stratification zones • Temperature, Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, pH Vertical Profiles using EXO multi-parameter sonde • Dissolved Organic Matter, Total Algae, Turbidity, Nitrate

NW

NE SE

SW

Suwannee River Water Management District

Water Quality Results NW Basin Depth (m) NOx-N PO4 0.3 0.0035 0.0044 5 0.0172 0.0047 10 0.0022 0.0072

TOC 3.38 3.68 2.92

Ichetucknee Trace Mine Monitoring Well Depth (m) NOx-N PO4 TOC Temp NA 1.9264 0.0896 1.79 23.81

Temp 30.28 30.23 23.34

NE Basin Depth (m) NOx-N PO4 TOC 0.3 0.0057 0.0035 4.74 5 0.0088 0.0037 4.9 10 0.0062 0.0022 3.97

SW Basin Depth (m) NOx-N PO4 0.3 0.0237 0.0043 10 0.017 0.0052 15 0.0178 0.0035

TOC 3.89 3.38 2.89

Temp 30.18 23.87 17.5

SE Basin Depth (m) NOx-N PO4 0.3 0.0066 0.0054 10 0.0095 0.0031 15 0.0093 0.0083

Surface Water Samples

TOC 3.76 2.86 3.27

Monitoring Well

Temp 30.7 23.61 17.65

Temp 31.01 30.15 22.66

Suwannee River Water Management District

Depth Temp Cond DO DO m C uS/cm mg/L %Sat 0.30 30.28 158 7.75 103 5.0

pH SU 6.60

Depth Temp Cond DO DO m C uS/cm mg/L %Sat 0.30 31.01 164 8.00 107

pH SU 7.93

30.23

158

7.83

103

7.73

5.0

30.15

163

7.75

130

8.11

10.0 23.34

226

6.40

73

7.73

10.0 22.66

248

1.43

16

7.33

Total Depth: 12 m Secchi: 4.25 m

Total Depth: 13 m Secchi: 3.5 m

NW

NE SE

SW Total Depth: 19 m Secchi: 5.1 m

Total Depth: 15.8 m Secchi: 5.0 m

Depth Temp Cond DO DO m C uS/cm mg/L %Sat 0.30 30.18 149 7.93 105

pH SU 7.85

Depth Temp Cond DO DO m C uS/cm mg/L %Sat 0.30 30.70 153 7.80 104

pH SU 8.25

10.0 23.87

174

22.2

262

8.10

10.0 23.61

196

11.2

132

8.13

15.0 17.50

240

0.84

8.4

7.32

15.0 17.65

253

0.79

8.3

7.68

Suwannee River Water Management District

WATER COLUMN STRATIFICATION

Summer

Fall & Spring

Highest algae concentrations were found in hypolimnion where there was light and nutrients. Epilimnetic waters were so nutrient poor that large algal populations were not supported.

Suwannee River Water Management District

*Corr NO3-N values presented are experimental, and are shown to demonstrate relative concentration trends. Reported values do not reflect measured nitrate results.

Suwannee River Water Management District

*Corr NO3-N values presented are experimental, and are shown to demonstrate relative concentration trends. Reported values do not reflect measured nitrate results.

*corr NO3-N are measured values/ 100, Suwannee River Water Management District used to show relative concentrations not actual concentration value

*Corr NO3-N values presented are experimental, and are shown to demonstrate relative concentration trends. Reported values do not reflect measured nitrate results.

Suwannee River Water Management District

*Corr NO3-N values presented are experimental, and are shown to demonstrate relative concentration trends. Reported values do not reflect measured nitrate results.

Suwannee River Water Management District

Summary of Results • Nutrients at low concentrations at majority of surface water sites (0.002 - 0.024 mg/L NOx-N vs nutrient criteria of 0.35 mg/L NOx-N). • Nearby well’s nutrient concentrations are relatively enriched for nitrates (1.92 mg/L NOx-N vs nutrient criteria of 0.35 mg/L NOx-N). • Sucralose not detected in groundwater or surface water samples. • Vertical stratification of water column • • • •

Temperature Conductivity Dissolved Oxygen Chlorophyll (deep chlorophyll maxima indicative of oligotrophic conditions)

Suwannee River Water Management District

Findings Undetectable levels of sucralose in surface water and groundwater samples indicate that a local source wastewater contamination is unlikely. Rather low levels of nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) in surface water samples.

Results indicate that surface water runoff to the lakes is unlikely to be a source of nutrient loading to springs. Nitrate concentration of 1.9 mg/L NOx-N in the onsite monitoring well confirms that groundwater concentrations of nitrate are elevated in the area. Depth profiles and analytical results indicate lakes are highly stratified and oligotrophic. Water Quality of onsite lakes appears good, and the lakes do not appear to be impacting local groundwater nutrient levels.

Questions?

R. Thomas Kiger [email protected] 386.362.1001

Darlene Saindon [email protected] 386.362.1001